Monthly Archives: August 2015

A few times in recent years, I have come across homes with distorted, melted vinyl siding. The first thought is to ask “how could this have happened?” The answer is very simple – the neighbors did it! Well actually the neighbors didn’t do it, at least not intentionally, but when they installed their new low – e windows, the process began (unbeknownst to all parties).

Here’s what’s really happening. The neighbor installs low emissivity windows because they provide great benefit to him. The low emissivity windows have a thin layer on the inside of the outer piece of glass of a double paned insulated window. This keeps out the heat from the infrared rays of the sun while allowing natural daylight to pass through. In the winter time, it also reflects the heat within the room back into the room. That all sounds great for the homeowner with the energy efficient low – e windows.

But what happens to the heat that is reflected away on the outside? The window acts like a magnifying glass that directs a “laser beam” of energy towards the next door neighbor. The position of the sun in the sky can affect the intensity and the worst conditions are winter time when the sun is lower which results in a greater impact. Traditional siding like cedar shingles or clapboards is not affected. But vinyl siding is affected and the siding melts and distorts.

If you have a cooperative neighbor, you can ask that he install screens on the outside of his windows that will disperse the energy without affecting the effectiveness of the windows. This should take care of the problem.

Another option, although more costly, is to install HardiePlank siding on your home. This is a fiber-cement product, but the cost is 3 times that of regular vinyl siding.

It sounds like the best fix is for the neighbor to invest in a few hundred dollars to purchase screens and hope it does the trick. Replacing the defective vinyl siding without resolving the cause will only result in it happening again.

For more information about low – e windows to understand the benefit and potential problems, a quick Google search will provide all the information you need to know.

About the author: Roland Spadafora is one of the broker owners of RE/MAX Legacy. You can learn more about him on his website www.spadaforateam.com

In preparation for my upcoming wedding and the sale of my home, it was necessary to go through a “purging” process of all the things and items I had collected over the many years. In the past, I had gone through the laborious process of hosting a yard sale and selling things at bargain prices just so I wouldn’t have to lug them back into the house. Although I love yard sales, the return just wasn’t worth the effort so I decided to sell everything I could online. With the help of some good websites and apps I made a small fortune. Here are the 4 places I used to make over $1200!

OfferUp: OfferUp is an app you can download on your phone and instantly post items for sale. I love this app because it was so easy to use. All you do is take a photo, enter some basic info about the item and sit back and wait for people to make you an offer. People can message you right through the app. The downside of this app was that it only allows you to post one picture.

Facebook Yard Sales: A lot of cities and towns have a yard sale page on Facebook. Mine was called “Woburn MA Yard Sale”. Just like OfferUp you can easily post things from your phone and its fast and simple. Currently there are over 3,200 participants in my Facebook yard sale group so I have a pretty decent buyer pool in and around my city.

ebay: Everyone knows about ebay and I usually stay away from it because of all the fees but I found the site helpful for selling things like cologne and toner cartridges. I’m not a fan of the auction style so I list everything with a “Buy It Now” price.

craigslist: Of course you can’t forget about craigslist. You will reach a greater audience than Offerup and Facebook yard sales but be careful. There tends to be alot of scammers on craigslist. I used to not give out my phone number and only respond to emails but I found too many bogus requests or tire kicker emails. The serious people usually will call or text.

If you have things you’re looking to sell then try out one or all of them. You will turn your used items into cash in no time! Happy Selling!

About the author: Anthony Giglio is a Realtor and one of the broker/owners of RE/MAX Legacy. His clients enjoy working with him because of his easy going approach. You can contact him directly on his website www.myhomeMA.com